The Echoes of War
by KXZ501
Summary: Project Purity has been activated, and the battle is over...but the fight is far from finished. What effect will two newcomers from a distant universe have on the balance of power in the Capital Wasteland?
1. Prologue: Take It Back!

**The Echoes of War**

**Disclaimer **– I do **NOT **own either Halo or Fallout. Halo is owned by Microsoft. Fallout is owned by Bethesda.

This story is set post Fallout 3, just so that you know. The story is also a crossover with Halo 3.

Updates and chapter lengths will vary depending on how creative I feel at the time. Sometimes I might be able to rattle off a decent length chapter or two within the space of a few days, or it might take me a couple of months to get a single short chapter done.

Furthermore, I would also like to apologise if any of the characters appear slightly OOC during the story. If need be, I'll replay both Halo 3 and Fallout 3 in order to get my bearings again.

So, without further ado – let's see where this crazy trip takes us, eh?

"Blahblahblah" – Speech  
_"Blahblahblah" _– Thoughts/Radio Chatter

**Prologue: Take It Back!**

It was almost over.

They had battled their way through the ruins of what was once Washington D.C., surviving through hellish bombardment, and the onslaught of countless Enclave soldiers.

They had even managed to convince Colonel Augustus Autumn, the Enclave's second-in-command, to stand down.

All that remained now was for them to activate the purifier, and the dream that was Project Purity would finally become a reality.

At least, that was how it should have been.

Using the facility's intercom, Dr. Li had informed them that the Jefferson Memorial had sustained significant damage during the fighting. Because of this, the facility would explode unless the purifier was activated. To make matters worse, dangerously high levels of radiation had flooded the chamber housing the purifier's controls.

In other words, whoever went in to activate the purifier...wouldn't come out.

"I'll do it," said Mark Williams.

"Now just wait a second!" protested the blond woman next to him. "That's suicide!"

"I said I'll do it," Mark replied, his eyes meeting his comrade's for a moment, before turning back to the control room. "I'll activate the purifier."

Sarah Lyons, leader of the elite 'Lyon's Pride' squad, was stunned. She had only known Mark for a relatively short time, having first encountered the young man during the defence of the GNR radio tower; and after witnessing him go toe-to-toe with a super mutant behemoth, the blond sentinel realised there was something special about the former vault dweller.

"You'll need to act quickly then, before…" Sentinel Lyons trailed off, her eyes turning to the increasingly irradiated control room. She paused for a moment, then looked back at the young man in front of her. "…I'll make sure no-one forgets what you did here."

"Thanks,"replied Mark as he held out a hand towards her. "It's been an honour fighting alongside you."

Sarah merely chuckled as she shook her head.

"The honour was all mine," she then replied as she accepted Mark's handshake.

Sporadic bursts of nearby gunfire momentarily drew their attention to the doors leading out of the rotunda. Though the fighting had died down, Brotherhood and Enclave forces were still exchanging battling despite Colonel Autumn's agreement to withdraw from the Jefferson Memorial.

Mark couldn't help but smile; Fawkes, Butch and Dogmeat were no doubt giving the retreating Enclave soldiers hell, and it saddened him to think of leaving behind such great companions…

No, not companions…they were _friends_; brothers in arms, if not in blood.

Ever since his liberation from the dark confines of Vault 87, Fawkes had proven himself to be a truly loyal comrade even after repaying his debt to Mark, when he and Dogmeat had aided the lone wanderer in his escape from the Enclave's base at Raven Rock. The trio then spent the following months travelling across the wasteland, before eventually meeting up with Butch at Rivet City.

Butch, he had known ever since his early years in Vault 101. The two had been at odds as children, with Butch and his gang, the 'Tunnel Snakes', repeatedly harassing Mark and his childhood friend, Amata Almodovar - the daughter of Alphonse Almodovar, Overseer of Vault 101. However, it was during his escape from the vault years later, when he helped the former bully rescue his mother from radroaches, that the two became friends.

Later, after Mark had returned to Vault 101 and convinced Alphonse to allow Amata to take his place as the Overseer, Butch chose to leave the vault and explore the outside world. He soon found himself in Rivet City, where he later reunited with Mark and company, quickly joining their group in search of adventure. Despite his initially cowardly antics, Butch soon proved himself to be a true warrior, particularly when he took down a Deathclaw by himself.

As for Dogmeat…well, that was another story entirely.

Before meeting Dogmeat, Mark had been all alone in the wasteland, overwhelmed and out of his league, with no-one to turn to for help or support. All that changed the day he came across a lone dog, fending off a small band of raiders in a ruined junkyard. After helping Dogmeat to dispatch his attackers, the two quickly forged a bond that would carry them wherever they went; from Old Olney and Fort Bannister, to the Citadel and Paradise Falls, they were all but inseparable as they roamed the Capital Wasteland.

"Tell the guys I couldn't have asked for better friends," Mark said as he placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder, before turning and walking to the airlock. After punching in the access code, the doors opened and Mark stepped through, the door behind him closing with a sharp hiss the moment he was inside. For a second or two, all was quiet, an almost eerie silence pervading every inch of the tiny airlock.

Then the door to the control room opened and the radiation hit him head on, washing over him like a tidal wave swallowing a stricken sea vessel.

Mark raised his arms as he took a step backwards, as if trying to shield himself from harm, before slowly trudging towards the control panel. His skin felt like it was on fire, as if thousands of tiny red-hot needles were stabbing him over, and over, and over again; His eyes began to sting and water, his vision slowly growing hazy; His hearing became distorted, the heavy footfalls of his armoured boots becoming more and more muffled with every passing second.

Even time itself appeared to slow down with every step he took, as despite being only a few meters in front of him, it felt as though an eternity had passed before Mark finally reached the control panel, though the young man wasn't sure whether that was due to the immense levels of radiation flooding into the chamber, or the adrenaline pumping through his body at the thought of his impending death.

_"This is it…the moment of truth…"_Mark thought as he clamped his hands onto either side of the console to steady himself. He punched in the activation sequence for the purifier – 216 – before finally jabbing the 'Enter' key. With that, the purifier came to life with a loud rumbling hum…and Project Purity became a reality. The waters of the wasteland would now flow clean and purely for all.

Unfortunately, the radiation had taken its toll on the young man, as Mark staggered back from the control panel, before collapsing onto one knee and then keeling over, eventually rolling onto his back. His body was now numb from the extended radiation exposure, he could hear the blood pumping in his ears, and the world around him was now little more than a hazy blur.

Just then, there was a barely audible thump, followed by another, and yet another. Slowly turning his head to the left, Mark was greeted with a sight that brought a tear to his eye.

Fawkes, Butch and Dogmeat were all gathered outside the control room alongside Sarah, expressions of shock and sadness on their faces at the sight of their dying friend. Fawkes was hammering on the reinforced glass of the chamber windows, Sarah was trying desperately to console an erratic Butch, and Dogmeat was on his back legs, his front paws pressed against the glass window as he let out a howl of despair.

However, this all stopped when Mark slowly raised his left arm, and gave one last thumbs up to his friends. "You guys…were the best…"he said with a weak chuckle, distorted by the voice filter of his T-5Ib's armoured helmet.

Then, his arm collapsed, his head fell back, memories of his adventures with his friends flashing rapidly before his eyes...

…and then everything went white.

* * *

_The constant gentle humming was the first thing that caught his attention. Slowly opening his eyes, Mark found himself lying on a bed. Gradually sitting up, he shook his head groggily before rubbing his eyes and looking around._

_That was when, to his surprise, he noticed that he was back in his old bedroom in Vault 101. There was even that same photo of him with his dad, taken on his tenth birthday, sitting in a photo frame atop a chest of drawers next to the bed._

_Bewildered, Mark pulled himself up and out of the bed, all the while scanning his surroundings to get a better idea of just where the hell he was…and then he realized he was wearing a Vault 101 jumpsuit._

_By now, Mark was really confused._

_Was he dead? Had it all been a dream? Had none of it even happened?_

_The sound of footsteps coming from the next room pulled him from his musings._

_"There's someone else here? Who could it be?" he wondered as he made his way over to the open door at the other side of the room…and stopped dead the moment he was through._

_There, sitting at the table in front of him, was his father._

_James looked up at Mark with a warm smile on his face, before getting up and walking over to his stunned son, who could only stare back dumbly in return._

_"Dad?"Mark began hesitantly, his voice barely above a whisper as James placed his hands on his son's shoulders._

_"You did it, son," he replied, before father and son embraced in a hug that, while only lasting a few minutes, seemed to go on forever. "I'm so proud of you."_

_"Thanks, dad," Mark said with a smile as the two ended their embrace. "So, where's mom?"_

_"Patience, my boy." James __held up an open hand for a moment, before placing it back on his son's shoulder. "You'll meet her in due time."_

_A perplexed frown appeared on Mark's face when he heard this. "What do you mean 'in due time'?"_

_"What I mean…" James began with a sigh, taking a step backwards from his confused son before he continued, "…is that your fight is not yet finished. There is still much left for you to accomplish, my son."_

_And before he could even blink, there was a flash of light…and everything disappeared._

* * *

At first, there was nothing, save for the endless, empty dark.

And then, he heard a voice.

A woman, it seemed. She sounded as if she was shouting something, but he couldn't quite make it out.

He could hear other sounds, off in the background, but the woman's voice was the most prominent.

Finally, he opened his eyes. At first, everything was a blur. He could tell he was, yet again, lying on his back. With each passing see cond his vision became steadily clearer, until he could just make out a shape, no more than a foot above him. After a few more seconds, he realised it was a woman.

And after a few more seconds, he realised who it was.

"…wake up, Mark! Come on, wake up dammit!"

Blinking a few times, Mark groggily shook his head before focusing on the power armoured woman kneeling over him, a few beads of sweat lining her brow.

"S-Sarah?" he asked slowly, the sound of his voice, distorted as it may have been, causing the young woman to recoil in slight surprise.

"My god, you're alive!" she exclaimed with relief, before waving over a pair of Brotherhood field medics to help her tend to her stricken comrade. "We did it, Kid. The purifier is ours."

"Yeah…we did…didn't we…" he managed to coughed out, before his head fell backwards, the panicked shouts of Sarah and the medics slowly fading out as his world fell into darkness once more.

* * *

_At first, there was nothing but the vast expanse of an infinite abyss._

_Then, he was in space, surrounded by stars, planets, asteroids, and all sorts of other interstellar entities._

_Then, something appeared off in the distance. At first he couldn't make out what it was, but as it drew closer, he realised that whatever it was…it was big._

_An immense black shadow approached. The intense sunlight behind it meant he could only just make out its silhouetted form, but it wasn't long before the object was upon him._

_Suddenly, the view shifted. He was now high above the earth, looking down upon the scarred planet; and d__espite suffering the horrors of nuclear war, the Earth still held some strange form of beauty in is appearance._

_Just then, something huge flew past him, and streaked towards the planet, its darkened form moving surprisingly fast for something of its size. He then realised that it was the giant object from before, a huge plume of smoke trailing behind it as it punched through the Earth's atmosphere, and plummeted towards the surface._

_The universe around him then became a speeding blur, and before he knew it he was on the ground; more specifically, in the urban ruins of Downtown D.C., the skies overheard filled with menacing black clouds as the winds howled like the spirits of the dead._

_For a moment, there was only the wind. Then, a low rumble began to fill the air, gradually growing louder and louder with each second until it became a deafening roar. Panicked, he looked around to see where it was coming from, only for the city around him to explode with tremendous force, showering him with stonework and masonry as swirling clouds of dust and smoke enveloped him._

_After a few minutes of dazed staggering, the smoke dissipated, and he could finally behold the mysterious object's true form…that of a giant spaceship. Its immense, boxy form was resting at the end of a smoking, three mile long trench._

_His eyes danced over the vessel with inquisitive curiosity, spotting an odd symbol near the back of the ship. However, before he could properly look at it, there was another explosion, this time behind him. An intense heat washed over him, and he turned to find the cause of this second eruption, only to be greeted with a blazing inferno. An immense wall of flame rose from the ruins around him, until all he could see was the searing fire._

_And from this wall of fire, it came forth; a giant of metal that stood almost as tall as a super mutant, and looked just as intimidating._

_Like his earlier encounter with the giant vessel, the intense light from the blazing fire meant that he could only see the giant's silhouette; even then, he could easily tell that in its right hand, it carried a strange but no doubt deadly weapon._

_Oddly enough, it also possessed a single large, golden eye._

_The giant appeared to consider him for a moment, tilting its head from side to side. it then reached around with its left hand and pulled something from the back of its head. Whatever it was, it was too small to see. Shortly after, however, an ethereal blue light shone forth from the object, rising until it was a few inches above the giant's hand. Then, it quickly grew, until it resembled the form a tiny glowing woman._

_The tiny glowing woman and the metal giant looked to one another for a moment, before turning their attention towards him. Their eyes then began to glow brighter and brighter, until a blinding light erupted from the two. However, this time the light was not white, but was instead a bright blue._

_And with that, his world once again faded into nothingness._

* * *

As the constant ticking sound reached his ears, Mark briefly debated whether or not he should even bother opening his eyes, if this was all just going to be another crazy dream. In the end, his curiosity got the better of him, and he woke up to find himself once again lying down in a bed.

This time however, he also woke to find Sarah, Fawkes, Butch and Dogmeat by his side; and from the look of their surroundings, they were back in the Citadel. He also found his T-51b's helmet sitting on the desk next to his bed.

"Well, it looks like the hero is finally awake," Sarah smirked, with Dogmeat deciding that would be the perfect time to leap up onto the bed and into Mark' lap, playfully licking at his master's face to the amusement of those gathered.

"It is heartening to see you alive and well, friend," nodded Fawkes with a relieved smile. "For a moment, I truly feared the worst."

"Yeah, what the big guy said," Butch added, jabbing a thumb towards Fawkes before giving Mark a friendly punch on the arm. "Seriously, you really had us worried back there - I always knew you were a goody-two shoes, but even I didn't expect you to go that far."

Mark simply shrugged his shoulders, stroking Dogmeat's back for a bit before turning to his long-time friend. "I just did what anyone would've done in that situation."

"Humble as always, I see." Sarah laughed at his words, before turning to the others and gesturing to the door. "Come on guys, let the hero have his rest." she paused, giving Mark a quick wink as they exited the room. "He's earned it."

Mark closed his eyes, chuckling softly as he watched his friends leave the room. Once they were gone, however, his expression hardened as he turned and gazed out the window. Had he really spoken to his father, or had it been the radiation's doing?

And just what the hell was that other dream about, anyway?

* * *

And there we are; the Prologue is done.

I look forward to hear what anyone has to say. Any comments, pointers, (constructive) criticism, suggestions, etc. are always more than welcome.

And stay tuned for Chapter 1.

Until next time, children!


	2. Chapter 1: Planetfall

**The Echoes of War**

**Disclaimer **– I do **NOT **own either Halo or Fallout. Halo is owned by Microsoft. Fallout is owned by Bethesda.

"Blahblahblah" – Speech  
_"Blahblahblah" _– Thoughts/Radio Chatter

**Chapter 1: Planetfall**

"Wake me, when you need me."

These were the last words spoken by Master Chief Petty Officer, John-117, A Spartan-II super soldier of the United Nations Space Command, to his closest friend and ally, Cortana – a UNSC 'smart' AI, created by flash-cloning the brain of Dr Catherine Halsey, the UNSC's foremost expert on cybernetics and the driving force behind the SPARTAN-II program – before clambering into a cryo pod and awaiting rescue by either UNSC or Covenant Separatist forces.

Along with the Arbiter, they had just managed to make it into the portal back to earth, narrowly escaping the blast fired from the partially re-constructed Alpha Halo back on the Ark. The ring world, being unable to properly contain its own power, shook itself to pieces and was destroyed upon firing, as well as causing significant damage to the Ark.

Unfortunately, this caused the portal itself to collapse just as the frigate entered it, resulting in the _Forward Unto Dawn _being launched off into the vast, uncharted reaches of space.

Yet despite their predicament, the Chief and Cortana realised that something was amiss; for starters, despite being at the front of the ship – and in turn, both the first one into the portal _and _the farthest away from the blast unleashed by the incomplete ring world – there was no sign at all of the Arbiter. Even after scouring through every inch of the ship, they simply could not find the Sangheili warrior.

That, and the ship's computer systems had logged a sudden surge in power - along with several unidentified energy fluctuations - just as the portal had collapsed.

In light of the circumstances, the two concluded that they had little chance of being found any time soon; but rather than give up without a fight, they would wait as long as it took to be found…or as long as they could. Thus, Cortana dropped a retrieval beacon whilst the Spartan prepared himself for cryo sleep. If they were lucky, they might be recovered by friendly forces within a few years…again, if they were lucky.

Then, with a last parting message, the Master Chief lay back as the cryo pod closed over his body.

And so the Master Chief, the lost hero of the Human-Covenant war, entered into a deep slumber under the watchful gaze of Cortana, where he would remain for a long time…though not as long as either had anticipated.

As fate would have it, there would be another twist in the tale of the lone Spartan and his AI companion. Little did they realise, that back on Earth, the very ship in which they were stranded had crash-landed in the middle of the ocean…with only the Arbiter inside.

Little more than a year had passed before the cryo-pod slowly hummed back to life, along with a nearby holo-tank containing a certain UNSC AI. Cortana slowly rose to her feet, her gaze travelling around the cryo bay before finally coming to a stop on the sole occupied cryo pod in front of her.

"Chief," she whispered softly. "I need you."

* * *

Slowly opening his eyes, John's gaze drifted back and forth as the cryo pod around him slowly opened, before coming to a stop on the comforting sight of a familiar friend.

"Glad to see you're finally awake, Chief."

"Cortana?" the Spartan asked as he sat up, rising slowly to allow his body to readjust to moving again after such a lengthy period of inactivity, along with compensating for the increased risk of freezer burn, having entered cryo sleep still in his armour. Technically, even for short voyages, UNSC crews were meant to be naked during cryo sleep, as covered skin reacted badly to the freezing process.

A small grunt of discomfort passed from the Spartan's mouth as he hauled himself out of the pod.

"Easy, John; it's been a while. You've been in cryo stasis for just over a year now, so your body won't be used to such sudden activity,"the AI spoke softly as the Chief slowly stood up to his full height of seven feet and two inches. With a short mental command, his MJOLNIR Mark VI powered assault armour administered wake-up stimulants into his blood stream to get him back up to operational readiness.

"Just _over _a year?" the Spartan inquired while initiating a full diagnostics check of his armour and its various built-in systems. To his satisfaction, all systems were online and operating within normal parameters, a small grin crossing his face at the familiar hum of the MJOLNIR's shields recharging.

"Correct," Cortana replied briefly, watching as John turned to the nearby bulkhead-mounted weapon rack, where a lone MA5C assault rifle - _his _MA5C assault rifle - was locked steadily in place.

"I see," the Master Chief replied, his gaze lingering on the weapon before returning to his AI companion. "So, why did you wake me?"

"Right now, the _Dawn _is on a collision course with a nearby planet, being drawn into its upper atmosphere as we speak," a concerned expression forming on Cortana's holographic face. "That, however, is only the tip of the iceberg."

With a wave of her virtual hand, she brought up several holographic displays, expanding one for the Spartan to examine. Leaning forward, the Chief quickly analysed the data being displayed.

What he saw shocked even him.

"Is that…" he began, before Cortana forestalled him with a raised hand, the AI looking up into the reflective gold visor of her protector's helmet.

"Yeah, that's Earth alright."

Looking back at the holo-screen, the Master Chief's eyes narrowed as he realized something.

The space around the Earth was surprisingly _empty_; there were no ships, no space stations, no orbital Super MAC cannons…_nothing_.

There was only Earth. Furthermore, something just seemed _off _about the planet itself.

An uneasy feeling slowly began gnawing away at the back of the Spartan's mind.

"Where's the UNSC?"

"Gone," Cortana replied, crossing her arms as more holo screens appeared. "Along with the lack of any space assets, I was unable to pick up any UNSC transmissions or identification signals, either up here or on the surface," she continued, jabbing a finger towards the holographic view of the planet.

_"Damn,"_he cursed mentally, before turning back to his AI companion. "Do you have any information on Earth itself?"

"Not much to go by, I'm afraid," Cortana sighed as several small holographic screens appeared in front of her, columns of data scrolling back and forth in all manner of directions. "With the ship's main fusion reactors offline, we've been getting by on back up power, meaning that the _Dawn_'s scanning capabilities have been limited, to say the least."

"Still, even with the _Dawn_'s limited functionality, I have been able to ascertain a few key points," she continued as she brought up another holographic screen, magnifying it so the Spartan to view the gathered data. "Basic scans of the planet's surface, for whatever reason, show radiological readings off the charts; and where there _should _be major population centres...nothing. No power sources, no life signs, no communications signals…_nothing_."

"However, there is some good news. I've managed to pinpoint the exact location where the ship will land," Cortana said as she further magnified the holographic image of Earth, zooming in on the North American continent. The on-screen map detailing the current trajectory of the _Forward Unto Dawn _showed that the frigate would land somewhere in Washington D.C. - or at least, what _should_ be Washington D.C.

The Spartan frowned as he digested this information. If he was correct, they had been adrift in space for roughly a standard Earth year, with no sign of any friendly forces coming to retrieve them. On top of that, the ship was now heading towards a seemingly derelict and highly irradiated Earth, with no sign of any UNSC or civilian presences.

With that in mind, the Master Chief began formulating a plan. Moving to the weapon rack, he removed the MA5C from its holding unit and placed it on his back, the assault rifle's electronic suite activating and notifying him that it was fully loaded, a dull metallic thump signifying that the weapon was locked in place. He then opened a nearby weapons locker, and procured several magazines for the assault rifle, along with two fragmentation grenades, and a combat knife.

Once he was fully armed and loaded, the Chief walked back over to Cortana and went to remove her data-chip from the holo-tank. The AI, however, quickly spoke up.

"Chief, what are you doing?"

"We're getting off this ship," the Spartan stated in a matter-of-fact fashion. "Once we're through the Earth's atmosphere, a low altitude jump should be possible."

"Are you crazy?" Cortana asked incredulously. "There's no way we'd make it! Besides, we have no idea what could be waiting for us down there!"

"You got a better idea?"

"Actually, I do," she replied confidently, an almost cocky smirk creeping across her holographic features.

The AI's retort surprised the Chief; in a situation like this, his plan was usually the only one with even half a chance of succeeding.

"What do you have in mind?" he asked curiously, wondering what Cortana was planning. The AI merely smiled in return before enlarging another holo-screen, this time displaying one of the _Dawn's _few remianing HEV pods. "If my calculations are correct, a well timed drop would see us land a few klicks north-west of the predicted crash site. I can create a simple dummy program to remotely launch one of the HEVs. It'll also activate the frigate's engines, and with a bit of luck, slow the ship's descent…even if only a little."

Cortana then switched to a layout of the frigate's interior, highlighting the fastest route to the hangar bay, along with the details of the remaining HEV pods, including weapons, munitions and other miscellaneous equipment. After quickly scanning the details of each pod, the Chief selected one that contained an M90A CAWS shotgun, four additional frag grenades, an SRS99D Sniper Rifle, and sufficient ammunition for each weapon.

"I thought you'd pick that one" Cortana grinned as she keyed in the selected pod to one of the holo-screens floating around her digitised figure. "Alright, I've created the launch program; it'll activate once you're inside the pod."

"Got it," John replied as he prepared to remove Cortana's data-chip."You ready?"

After one last look around the cryo bay, Cortana turned to the Chief. The moment she had finished transferring herself and all available information to the data chip, she gave he protector a nod.

"Yank me."

The holo-tank dimmed and died as the Master Chief unplugged Cortana's data chip, and quickly slotted it into the back of his Mark VI's helmet, before exiting the cryo bay and sprinting down the various corridors of the _Dawn_. All the while, the Spartan felt the ship rattle as the Earth's gravity pulled them in, a huge and immensely bright flame enveloping the frigate as it began to punch through the planet's atmosphere.

Roughly ten minutes later, they reached the Hangar Bay, quickly spotting the selected HEV. Once inside, the Chief quickly secured himself and his weaponry, then sealed the pod shut. Seconds later, a small green LED on the interior control panel blinked briefly, notifying them that Cortana's launch program had activated. With a heavy thud, the holdings on the HEV were released and the drop pod slid out of the hangar bay.

As soon as it exited the frigate, the much heavier _Forward Unto Dawn _roared ahead, the tiny re-entry vehicle's metal drag chute deploying and slowing the HEV somewhat, a thick plume of white smoke trailing behind the metallic pod as it punched through the planet's atmosphere and plummeted towards the surface below.

* * *

Elsewhere, a group of four mercenaries sat huddled around a makeshift campfire in an abandoned building across from the Vault-Tec Headquarters in Vernon Square, having just dealt with a few stray raiders who had been searching through the ruins for supplies.

It had been a good day for them so far, having made a nice tidy sum escorting an out-of-state trader to Cantebury Commons. Afterwards, they had gone to Megaton to re-supply and re-arm, before heading off into the Downtown D.C. ruins to see if they could find anything worth scavenging.

Suddenly, a loud whistling noise caught their attention. Looked upward, they were just able to catch sight of a small object flying by overhead, before it violently ploughed into the side of a ruined building several streets away. This was followed, moments later, by a second louder impact, caused by what sounded like a much larger object landing further off into the derelict city.

"Oh shit!" exclaimed Max, the youngest of the group. He was the youngest of the group at twenty-two years old, with short blond hair and a scar running across his left cheek. He was dressed in a dirty white t-shirt with brown cargo pants tucked into shin-high army boots, and armed with an assault rifle. Quickly getting up from his seat at the near fire, he ran over to the nearest window and pointed a finger towards the swirling cloud of smoke rising from where the object had landed. "You guys see that?"

"Damn!" cursed Sara, the female of the group, as she joined Max. She was twenty-six years old, with shoulder length brown hair and semi-tanned skin, wearing a long leather coat with the arms removed, worn over a white muscle shirt, with a pair of stitched and reinforced pants with chains around the ankles, and a pair of army boots. She snatched up her two SMGs and reloaded them, then clipped some frag grenades onto her belt before turning to other members of the group. "What the hell was that, anyway?"

"The hell if I know, but the smaller one couldn't have landed too far away…I'd say south-west of here," replied Rico, the leader of the group, and a burly looking man of thirty-one years with a short black buzz cut and a trimmed goatee. He was decked out in a bulky black and dark blue leather jacket tucked into black gloves with blue trousers and black knee-high boots, with two bandoliers strapped diagonally around his chest. He lit up a cigarette, before resting his combat shotgun on his right shoulder and gesturing to the object's landing point with a short nod. "Come on, let's go."

"Are you fuckin' crazy?" cried Henry, the group's sniper, wearing a heavily stitched and reinforced blue and grey outfit that resembled a three piece suit. Despite being only twenty-three years old and thus the second youngest of the group, the pale skinned cynic's ability with a sniper rifle was second to none."We ain't got any idea what that thing was, or what could be waitin' for us out there!"

"I know," growled Rico in a voice that silenced any further protests, while slotting a fresh ammo drum into his combat shotgun. "That's why we're going in silent, at least until we know exactly what we're dealing with."

With that, the four mercenaries geared up, exited the building, and began hiking their way toward the impact area, all the while keeping their eyes open for potential enemies. Whatever this thing was, there was the chance they could scrounge up something useful from it; a chance that the group, despite Henry's protestations, felt was too good to pass up.

Little did they realise just what they were getting themselves into...

* * *

With a resounding _BOOM_, the HEV streaked in low and impacted into the side of a derelict skyscraper, punching straight through the bombed out ruin and slamming into a smaller structure, before finally coming to a halt in the centre of a bombed out office building. For a few seconds, the pod remained still, until the built-in detonation charges blew the pod's access hatch clean off, sending it flying into a nearby wall with a loud _CRASH_ that echoed throughout the remains of the building.

With a firm grip, the Master Chief hauled himself out of the pod, his MA5C already up and aimed as he scanned the immediate area. On his back, both the M90A CAWS shotgun and the SRS99D Sniper Rifle were firmly locked in place, thanks to the magnetic slings built into the back of the Mark VI.

The moonlight filtering in through the various cracks and openings in the structure gave the ruin an unwelcoming aura.

After a few minutes sweeping the area, the Spartan's motion trackers showed no nearby activity; but experience told the Chief that while his motion tracker may be clear, that didn't mean that there wasn't someone or something waiting to pounce from around the next corner, or from above the next ledge.

"Chief, I'm picking up residual radiological readings all around us," Cortana informed the Spartan, the brief hint of concern in her voice quickly fading as they took stock of the situation. "However, the readings are too faint to be of any real danger, so you needn't worry about radiation poisoning any time soon."

"Good to know," the Master Chief replied, his eyes darting across every nook and cranny around them, searching any hidden traps or assailants. Then, with all due caution, John slowly made his way over to the nearest exit from the building…and stopped dead the moment they were outside.

"My god…" Cortana whispered inside the Spartan's helmet, as the crumbling city of Washington D.C. stretched out all around them, the light from the moon giving the hollowed out buildings an almost surreal glow as the rose into the night sky. "What happened here?"

"I don't know," the Spartan replied, his eyes narrowing as he gazed out over the broken husk of the city. The air of death and desolation was all around them; the atmosphere was filled with it, and for all they knew, they could be the only people left alive on Earth.

"Our first priority should be to secure the _Dawn_. After that, we should try and make contact with any possible survivors."

"Good idea," Cortana replied, the earlier concern momentarily reappearing in her voice, before fading away as she ran some background calculations. "The _Dawn _should be a few klicks south-east of our location. Unfortunately, earlier scans show that due to the damage to the city, a direct route is impossible. However, if you head north-east, you should eventually be able to loop around and head straight for the ship."

John glanced at his HUD, a waypoint indicator flashing up, detailing the distance between their position and that of the downed frigate.

He then returned his gaze to the broken remains of Washington D.C. "Got it."

And with that, the Spartan raised his MA5C, and set off into the moonlit night.

* * *

There you have it, folks – Chapter 1 is complete.

Now, those of you who read my first (no longer published) fanfic may recognise a few parts here and there. The reason for this was that when I scrapped the original story, I opted to save the Halo parts of it, for possible future use.

Now, just to clear up any confusion about how an intact Forward Unto Dawn landed on the Fallout Earth, allow me to explain:

Instead of the ship being sliced in two, as in the Halo 3 ending, the collapse of the portal instead created an opening to another dimension. In short, there are now two Dawns - one with the Arbiter that landed back on Halo Earth, and one with the Chief and Cortana that landed on Fallout Earth. Yes, a gimmicky plot device, I know - but let's just call it 'suspension of disbelief' and run with it, alright folks?

As always, comments, (constructive) criticisms, suggestions, or even general observations are always welcome – I look forward to hearing what you all have to say about the story, be it good, bad, or indifferent.

So the Master Chief and Cortana have landed on Earth, along with the _Forward Unto Dawn_. Where will things go from here? And what lies in store for our four unsuspecting mercenaries?

Stay tuned, and find out in Chapter 2: "Contact"!

See you there!


	3. Chapter 2: Contact!

**The Echoes of War**

**Disclaimer **– I do **NOT **own either Halo or Fallout. Halo is owned by Microsoft. Fallout is owned by Bethesda.

Before we get this chapter rolling, I'd like to take a moment to address a few key points in relation to the story:

Fallout 3 DLC Content: Initially, I hadn't planned to include any elements from any of the FO3 DLC packs (released or forthcoming), even though the story is set post Fallout 3. However, if there's anything I find particularly interesting in any of them, then I may opt to add such elements to the story.

The Chief's Armour: I realise that the MJOLNIR Mk. VI is far in advance of anything available in Fallout 3, and as such makes even the likes of the T-51b Power Armour look like a child's toy in comparison. Don't worry, though – I'll do my best to make sure the Mk. VI doesn't make the various Fallout 3 Power Armours look completely obsolete, while staying as true as possible to the capabilities of the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armour.

The Focus of the Story: The story will focus mainly on the Master Chief and Cortana, though it will also shift between them and the Lone Wanderer every now and then...at least initially. ;]

The Lone Wanderer: As for the Lone Wanderer himself, his personality is akin to the way in which I myself played through Fallout 3 – though I may tone down the 'good guy' aspect of his character a little bit in later chapters. As for his name…well, that's simply what I called him in FO3. =]

But I've blabbed on for long enough; so let's get this story moving then, shall we?

"Blahblahblah" – Speech  
_"Blahblahblah" _– Thoughts/Radio Chatter

**Chapter 2: Contact!**

With the moonlight shining down upon them, Rico and his team quickly made their way toward the location of the object, snaking through the crumbling roadside buildings as quietly as possible. The street itself may have been devoid of any life, but they didn't want to take their chances out in the open – the last thing they needed was to bump into any Super Mutants, especially in the middle of the night.

When they reached a derelict corner shop on the edge of a crossroad, Rico held up an open hand, signalling for the others to stop. He then waved the group down before crouching behind an overturned table, the others taking it as their cue to get into cover.

Once they were in position, Rico pointed at Henry and waved him forward to the front of the shop. The pale sniper responded with a nod, then quietly hustled over to the front window and ducked in behind a display cabinet before bringing out his sniper rifle. He then slowly swept his rifle's scope back and forth across the open road and the buildings up ahead, hoping to spot any potential threats that may have been lying in wait for them.

While he was doing this, Henry couldn't shake the niggling feeling at the back of his mind that they were being watched. Then, just as he was about to finish up, something caught his attention. Quickly swinging his rifle round, the sniper found himself looking at an abandoned apartment on the corner of the crossroad diagonally opposite their position. There, in one of the windows on the first floor, a tattered and torn curtain was slowly swaying back and forth.

There was also no wind blowing.

For a moment, Henry could have sworn he had seen something moving behind the ragged curtain, but after a few minutes had passed, he slowly lowered his rifle. His eyes, however, remained firmly fixed on the apartment. Rico, noticing Henry's unease, quickly spoke up.

"What's wrong?" asked the burly Caucasian as he tossed the butt of his cigarette into a damp corner. Henry cast a quick glance back over his shoulder at Rico, then gestured for the rest of the group to join him. Cautiously, they crept out from behind their cover and squatted down next to the pale skinned sniper.

"Up there," he began with a raspy whisper, pausing momentarily to point towards the upper level of the apartment building before he said"Thought I saw somethin' movin' just now."

"You sure?"Rico inquired, curiosity written on his features. Henry merely replied with a nod, his eyes still focused on the apartment across the road. Max and Sara, meanwhile, exchanged uncertain glances.

Before the sniper could reply, a low rumble echoed over head. After that came the soft, tell-tale pitter-patter of the rain. Before they knew it, the heavens themselves had opened up, and a midnight rainstorm was upon them. Luckily, the rainfall itself was fairly light; otherwise, they would have been forced to take shelter until the downpour had passed...and the last place anyone wanted to spend the night was in downtown D.C.

Unfortunately, this meant that the mercenaries now had to keep moving, or risk being trapped in the downtown ruins, should the current downpour get any worse.

"Alright, let's go," Rico growled reluctantly, as he stood up and dusted himself off before walking over to the front door of the shop, a fresh cigarette in his mouth and his combat shotgun gripped firmly in the both hands.

"Stay low, stay sharp, and for god's sake keep your eyes open…there's no tellin' what's waitin' for us."

* * *

"Well, at least we know we're not alone now," Cortana remarked in a curious tone as they watched the ragtag band of humans exit the structure across the street.

Roughly ten minutes had passes since the Master Chief and Cortana had set off to secure the downed frigate. During that time, the Spartan and his AI comrade had questioned whether or not they were truly the last beings on earth, and what to do if such was the case.

That was until they came across the group they were now currently tailing.

"If my guess is correct, however, they're heading toward the HEV we used to reach the surface," the AI continued as she utilised the sensors of the Chief's Mark VI to get a readout on the individuals making their way through the streets below. "Looks like we made a louder entrance than we thought,"

The Master Chief simply nodded in response, switching his MA5C for his SRS99D, then slowly ducking through a large hole into an adjacent room.

Cortana chuckled. "Playing it safe?"

"Better safe than sorry," replied the Spartan as he crept through the ruined apartment as quietly as was possible in his Mark VI, not wanting to draw any attention to himself just yet. "We may be on Earth, and they may be human, but they're armed. Furthermore, we have no intel on them; for all we know, they could open fire the moment they see us."

"I'm beginning to see how you got by without me," Cortana replied as the Spartan dropped down through a nearby hole in the floor, stone and gravel crunching beneath his massive armoured form.

"Thanks," the Master Chief returned calmly as he activated his helmet's headlamps. The Spartan scanned the surrounding area for any hidden threats before deactivating the headlamps, though the only activity on his motion sensor came from the four humans outside. Once certain the area was clear, he continued shadowing the small group of survivors.

As they followed the ragtag group, the Chief and Cortana began to pick up a few things about each of the four mercenaries that identified their respective roles within the group.

For starters, the burly Caucasian with the goatee and the buzz cut was most likely the leader of the pack, given the way he was issuing the orders. His attire, along with his weapon of choice – some kind of shotgun, judging by its appearance – further reinforced this notion.

The pale skinhead was, without doubt, the group's sniper and lookout, on account of the scoped rifle gripped tightly in his hands.

The only female of the group - armed with what looked like two SMGs - could have been the group's scout, judging from the way that she moved. Her equipment also appeared to suggest this, seemingly geared for mobility rather than fire power.

Finally, there was the blonde haired young man. He was most likely the foot soldier of the group, given the ragged outfit he was wearing and the assault rifle he was carrying. His movements, coupled with his seemingly nervous disposition, also suggested he was the 'rookie' of this group.

Furthermore, the Spartan noted that each member was carrying both a combat knife and a few of what appeared to be grenades. Whoever they were, they were no strangers to combat.

Just then, the four humans came to a sudden halt in the middle of a t-junction. Each one had their weapons raised and was frantically scanning their surroundings. For a moment, the Master Chief was concerned that his position had been compromised.

Then came a strange and almost primal scream, followed by several gunshots...and mad, cackling laughter.

"What was that?" exclaimed Cortana.

"No idea," the Chief began as he moved over to a nearby opening and crouched down, his sniper rifle loaded and ready just in case, as the old saying went: 'the shit hit the fan'. "But whatever it is, it's not good."

Cortana let out an exasperated sigh.

"I hate it when you say that…you're _always _right."

* * *

"Aw, shit!" cursed Sara as she raised her dual SMGs, her eyes narrowing as an ever familiar sound echoed throughout the night sky. If there was one thing none of them would never forget, it was _that _sound.

"Tell me that's not what I think it is," Max pleaded with an audible gulp, his assault rifle shaking ever so slightly in his grip as he turned back-and-forth on the spot, eyes dancing across the urban ruins that surrounded them.

"I hate to break it to ya, kid, but it is," Rico retorted with a low growl as he hefted his combat shotgun, an annoyed frown forming on his face as the cries, laughter and occasional gunfire grew louder with every passing second. "Super Mutants…and lots of 'em, by the sound of it."

"Well that's just fan-fucking-tastic!" Henry snapped angrily. "The big green uglies are out to play! This just can't get any better, can it?"

Suddenly, without warning, sparks flew as several gunshots impacted on the rusted, burnt out wreckage of a nearby car, with several more shots landing only scant feet from the mercenaries' current position.

Not a moment later, the large and unmistakeably muscular forms of several super mutants came pouring out from the remains of a nearby building.

There were at least nine of the lumbering green goliaths, two of which were armed with miniguns, while the rest were armed with either assault or hunting rifles. The super mutants took one look at the four mercenaries, and opened fire.

"Get Down!" screamed Rico, he and the other mercenaries diving for cover as a hail of gunfire rained down upon them, a couple of bullets narrowly missing the mercenary leader's head as he ducked down behind the charred frame of a burnt-out car.

"Nice going, Henry!" Max shouted sarcastically as more gunfire struck the overturned pickup truck he and Sara were hiding behind. "How 'bout a megaphone next time you wanna tell the whole world where we are?"

"Screw you, asshole!" the sniper retorted with a snarl, flinching as a bullet struck the ground less than a foot from his position

Following the opening barrage, some of the super mutants moved forward while blazing away at the pinned mercenaries, their comrades continuing to fire from their positions further back. The four mercenaries waited until several of the super mutants were forced to reload before taking a chance to return fire.

Max and Sara quickly leaned out from behind a demolished pickup truck and trained their guns on the lead super mutant, their combined fire bringing down the hulking green giant less than four metres from their cover. A worn-out hunting rifle clattering to the ground as the super mutant toppled forwards, its body riddled with a multitude of bullet wounds. The two then turned their guns on the remaining super mutants, forcing some to take cover amongst the debris strewn across the road.

On the opposite corner of the junction, Rico and Henry were faring a little better. With two of the super mutants closing in on them, Rico quickly grab two frag grenades and tossed them over the top of the wrecked car they were using as cover. The two explosives hit the ground and bounced twice, landing just a few feet ahead of the oncoming super mutants.

Seconds later, the grenades exploded, the combined force of both blasts tearing through the first super mutant with ease, killing it instantly. The beast crumpled to the ground, thick red blood splattering across cracked concrete, strands of flesh, muscle and bone dangled from the open wounds now covering the entire right side of the hulking brute's body.

The second super mutant, on the other hand, was still alive and kicking, having only been partially wounded by Rico's attack. Having finished reloading its assault rifle, the lumbering giant was about to bring its weapon to bear, when its head burst like an overly ripe fruit, scattering brain matter and bone fragments everywhere. The dead goliath's carcass hit the ground with such force that it kicked up several tiny dust clouds.

Almost instinctively, Henry had leaned out from behind the somewhat protective shell of the burnt automobile and a fired a single round at the surviving super mutant, the shot finding its mark as it tore through the hulking brute's skull.

Little too late did he realise his mistake, however.

One of the minigun wielding super mutants, atop a nearby slope of rubble, had turned its attentions from Max and Sara and was now aiming its multi-barrelled weapon right at him. Even through the drizzling rain and darkness of night, the sniper noticed that the barrel of the minigun was already spinning, ready to unleash death upon him…and there was little he could do to escape it.

Or so it seemed...

At that very moment, a thunderous _CRACK _echoed across the surrounding area, followed instantly by the same super mutant's head simply disappearing in a cloud of fine red mist. The minigun it carried fell from its massive hands as its body fell limply to the ground.

Another loud _BANG _rang out moments later, resulting in a another clean kill as the second minigun wielding super mutant - now also headless - hit the ground like a tonne of bricks.

The sudden deaths of the two minigunners brought about a sudden lull in the fighting, leaving both sides to wonder just what in the hell had just happened.

* * *

As the second green-skinned creature hit the floor, the Master Chief switched to his MA5C and backed up several feet, the loose floorboards groaning noisily as they strained to support over half a tonne of armoured super soldier.

The Spartan then lowered his frame like a track runner about to start a race, his eyes fixed firmly on the hole in the wall ahead of them.

"Ready, Chief?"asked Cortana, her words laced with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

"Are you?" the Chief returned coolly.

"Of course."

"Then let's go."

The Spartan then bolted forward towards the opening at the front of the crumbling ruin, and launched himself headlong into the fray.

The Master Chief hit the ground with such force that centre of the street exploded in a shower of dirt and concrete, a thick screen of dust and smoke being thrown up from the small cratered formed by the super soldier's landing.

Thanks to the MJOLNIR's motion tracker, the Spartan quickly located both the remaining hostiles and the pinned humans. His superhuman eyesight, further boosted by the Mark VI's helmet, meant he could clearly make out the enemy's massive forms through the smoke and the rain. A quick glance backwards told him that the humans, while somewhat shaken, were unharmed.

Quickly ducking into a crouched position, the Chief turned his assault rifle on the nearest super mutant, and fired just as the smokescreen had dispersed, the MA5C letting loose a storm of FMJ rounds that slammed into his target. The lumbering brute was utterly taken aback by the surprise attack, its body twisting and turning as it was raked by gunfire.

With one hostile down, the Chief dove to avoid a hail of lead, the remaining super mutants having recovered from the initial shock of their comrade's sudden death. Quickly springing to his feet, the Spartan whipped out a frag grenade and tossed it at the nearest oncoming assailant, while systematically unloading the reminder of his current magazine into another of the attacking monsters, while several bullets pinged harmlessly against his shields.

The blast from the frag grenade ripped its intended victim's torso open, sending its ruined corpse sprawling several feet backwards as the second burst of FMJ rounds smashed into the other super mutant's chest and legs, sending it crashing face first to the ground, blood leaking from its wounds.

Unfortunately, the MA5C's current magazine was now empty, just as the last of the bloodthirsty goliaths closed in, tossing its assault rifle aside as it let out a bellowing roar and charged at the super soldier. With no time to reload, the Chief quickly switched to his M90, and side-stepped just in time to avoid the giant's massive fist as it swung for the Spartan.

Parrying another wild blow, the Master Chief grabbed the super mutant's left arm and yanked it forwards, pulling the goliath of balance. The super soldier then followed up with a swift kick to the mutant's left leg, shattering its kneecap and forcing the beast onto one knee.

The Spartan then smashed the butt of his shotgun into the side of the creature's head, followed by another blow, this time to his opponent's jaw. Finally, the Chief took a step back, levelled his shotgun, and fired. With a loud _bang_, the battle was drawn to a close, the last monster slumping to the ground dead, its life blood pooling around its fallen form.

The area was now deathly silent, save for the Master Chief calmly reloading his weapons, all the while scanning the surrounding area for any further hostile contacts.

The Chief then noticed it had stopped raining.

After a few seconds had passed, the Spartan slowly turned to face the four mercenaries, who were now openly staring at him. The way the moonlight illuminated both his armour and visor gave the super soldier an almost _alien_ appearance. The Chief remained stationary for a moment, before striding towards the gathered humans.

Maybe now, he and Cortana would finally get some answers.

* * *

Needless to say, Rico and his group were stunned.

Then again, it wasn't everyday that you witnessed a seven foot tall, armour-plated giant _decimate _a group of six super mutants...and single-handedly, at that.

And now that same armoured giant was walking towards them, the moonlight illuminating it in a rather sinister fashion. With each step the giant took, the mercenaries slowly felt their hearts creeping into their throats, their eyes rapidly shifting between its golden visor and the strange-yet-deadly weapon in its gauntleted hands.

Not to mention the fact that said giant was carrying the equivalent of a small armoury on its person.

* * *

The Master Chief stopped as soon as he reached them, slowly gauging each of them in turn – first Max, then Sara, followed by Henry, and then finally Rico. Surprisingly, the armoured giant appeared to relax, even if only slightly, his weapon slowly lowering until it was about waist height.

However, what really took the group by surprise group was when he spoke.

"Easy," the Spartan said in a low gravely voice, an open palm held up in a peaceful gesture. "I'm not here to harm you."

Unfortunately, the mercenaries simply continued to stare dumbly at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

"Who..._what _are you?" the Rico asked hesitantly, having finally worked up the courage to actually say something instead of just gawking awkwardly. The Chief paused for a moment, carefully considering the burly man's question. At that moment, Cortana's voice popped into the Spartan's helmet.

"Normally, I would advise against releasing any confidential UNSC information," the AI began, a cautious tone accompanying her voice as she scanned of the four humans standing in front of them. "However, given the unusual nature of our situation, I don't see any problem with answering his question."

The Master Chief nodded ever so slightly in return, before shifting his attention back to the mercenary leader, his gravely sounding voice filtering through his helmet's speakers. "Master Chief Petty Officer, Spartan-117, UNSC Navy."

Once again, confusion set in as Max, Henry and Sara exchanged perplexed looks. Rico merely furrowed his brow as he gave the Spartan a curious look. "UNSC? What is that, some kind military group?"

"Affirmative," the Chief replied. "Now, let me ask you something."

"Okay, shoot."

"What happened here?" the Master Chief inquired as he gestured to the sprawling ruins of Washington D.C. that surrounded them. If he and Cortana could gain even a little intel on what had caused such immense destruction, it would surely be worthwhile.

"I dunno know much about _that_," said the mercenary leader, taking a moment to pull out and light up another cigarette."But all I _do _know is there was some kinda nuclear war, about two-hundred years ago; pretty much fucked over the entire planet."

"I see," the UNSC super soldier replied thoughtfully, both he and his AI companion digesting that nugget of information. "Can you tell me what year it is currently?**"**

"Honestly, I got no idea," Rico remarked with a casually shrug of his shoulders. The Spartan briefly considered questioning them further, but quickly decided against it. However, before he could say anything else, Sara spoke up with another question.

"You came down in that thing that landed not far from here, right?" the brown haired scout inquired, curiosity written plainly across her face.

"That's correct," said the Master Chief. "The drop pod I used to reach the surface landed south-east, not far from here."

"So what're ya doin' away out here?" Henry asked suspiciously, never taking his eyes off the Spartan's armoured form. "You lookin' for somethin' or what?"

"I'm trying to reach my ship, which landed south-east of here," said the Spartan. "That's when I came across you."

The four mercenaries almost choked in surprise when they heard that.

"You were following us?" exclaimed Max, the blond youth's eyes widening further. "For how long?"

"About ten minutes before they attacked you," the Chief gestured towards the slain super mutants. The mercenaries took one look at the mangled bodies of their fallen foes, and decided it best not to argue that particular point any farther. Quickly clearing his throat, Rico turned back to the Spartan with another question in mind.

"You said your..._ship_...was southeast of here, right? If that's the case, why are you headin' Northwest?"

"A direct route to the ship is impossible," replied the Spartan, taking a momentary look back toward the direction from which he had come. "Damage to the city has blocked my path, so I need to loop round in order to reach my objective."

The mercenaries considered the Spartan's words, exchanging a few glances between themselves. Just then, Sara stepped forward, an oddly eager look in her eyes. "Well, if you need to make your way through the D.C. ruins, we can help you."

The Chief turned his head toward the young woman. "How?"

"We know the area pretty well, actually, so we can probably help you find your way…but it'll cost ya," the brunette said with a wry smirk, her eyes glinting almost mischievously. Henry and Max rolled their eyes, while Rico just shook his head. Of all people, it would be Sara that would try to barter with a seemingly super-powerful space soldier that they had _only just met_.

Despite frowning at the young woman's last remark, the Spartan took a moment to ponder their proposition, with Cortana's voice again appearing in his ear. "We could use the help, Chief. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to part with a few weapons, given the supplies that are likely still on the ship."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," the super soldier grumbled, before looking back down at the young woman as he reactivated his helmet's speakers. "I can offer you some spare weapons and ammo in exchange for your help. Is that acceptable?"

Sara's face lit up briefly, only for Rico to cut her off with a quick hand gesture before turning his attention back to the Spartan."That'll be just fine, thanks."

"Glad to hear it."

"Oh, and the name's Rico, by the way," the Caucasian added as he held out his hand, a confident smirk forming on his weathered features. The Chief's eyes moved to Rico's hand, then back to his face, before he took the mercenary's hand in his own.

Rico then jabbed a fingers towards each member of the group in turn, "Max, soldier and techie; Sara, scout and recon; and Henry: sniper, lookout...and all-round cynical prick."

"Oh, fuck you, Rico," Henry mutter with a frown while the other mercenaries shared a laugh at their comrade's expense. The UNSC pair merely watched the group with a degree of curiosity.

"Quite the bunch, don't you agree?" Cortana commented idly.

"You could say that," the Spartan replied flatly as the group began to move.

And with that, the Master Chief and Cortana set off alongside the four wasteland mercenaries as they began their trek towards the crash site of the _Forward Unto Dawn_.

However, there was a niggling feeling at the back of the Spartan's mind…and it told him that this was only the beginning of a much longer journey.

* * *

Phew…finally, we're done!

I do apologies if the quality has dropped at all, but let's just say that when it came to the non-combat scenes, I had a stumbled into a little…_creative trouble_.

So, the Chief and Cortana have now hooked up with Rico and his motley crew, who have offered to aid everyone's favourite Spartan and his AI companion in securing their lost frigate (after being saved from a band of vicious super mutants, that is).

What new perils await the Chief and Cortana as they begin their journey through the bleak desolation of the Capital Wasteland?

And don't think I've forgotten about everyone's favourite wasteland wanderer, or his travelling companions. They'll be back soon enough. =]

As always, reviews/comments/criticism/suggestions/etc are always welcome.

Keep your eyes open for Chapter 3: "Closing In…"!


	4. Chapter 3: Closing in

**The Echoes of War**

**Disclaimer** - I do **NOT** own either Halo or Fallout. Halo is owned by Microsoft. Fallout is owned by Bethesda.

Well...this update certainly took far, far..._far_ longer than I had ever anticipated.

I can only offer my sincerest apologies to you guys, given how ridiculously long it has taken for this chapter to arrive. However, it is heartening to see that there is still some interest in this story.

And a quick heads up - this chapter will contain an info dump of sorts at the start. However, this is simply to help establish the situation within the story. If it helps, just imagine Ron Perlman narrating those parts.

Oh, and for the record, the Lone Wanderer's name has been changed to 'Mark Williams'. After looking back over the previous chapters, I felt the original name didn't flow too well.

I've also done some editing and tidying up of the previous chapters, as well.

Anyways, I've rambled long enough - so let's get the ball rolling again, shall we?

"Blahblahblah" - Speech  
_"Blahblahblah"_ - Thoughts/Radio Chatter

**Chapter 3: Closing in...**

_A lot can change in a year..._

He had heard that somewhere before. It was only when he actually stopped and took a moment to think about it, however, that Mark realised the inherent truth behind those words.

It had been just over a full year since the completion of Project Purity; in that time, the Capital Wasteland had changed significantly.

As the convoy slowly trundled its way through the ruined streets of what was once Washington D.C, Mark cast his mind back to the events of the past year up leading to this point...

In the early months following the Purifier's activation, the two largest settlements of the Wasteland - Megaton and Rivet City - had experienced a significant growth in their respective populations. This, in turn, resulted in an increase in trade both to and from the two settlements.

Megaton had expanded so much, in fact, that a second outer wall had to be erected to house the growing number of people settling there. As a result, Sheriff Lucas Simms gathered all the residents with the most combat experience, and formed the 'Megaton Militia'. An armed security force of just over thirty people, the militia was responsible for enforcing law and order throughout Megaton.

To that end, the occasional raider attacks every now and then helped keep the militia on their toes.

In fact, Mark could even recall one incident during his last visit to Megaton, when a band of raiders had launched a surprise attack on the settlement. The Lone Wanderer had been about to go to the aid of Megaton's defenders, when Sheriff Simms stopped him, stating that the town militia would be 'just fine'. Despite his initial protests, Mark reluctantly agreed to let the town's militia handle the situation themselves.

And handle it they did; no sooner had the attack began, than the raiders had been soundly routed, the militia driving them off without incident or casualties. To the young wanderer, it was a sound testament to both the militia's capabilities, and how well Lucas had trained them.

Meanwhile, the people of Rivet City had finally managed to reclaim the entirety of the ruined aircraft carrier in which they resided. After clearing out the remaining Mirelurks infesting the lower decks, the settlers expanded to the rest of the ship, including the broken off bow at the front of the carrier. Furthermore, Dr. Horace Pinkerton - the former head of Rivet City's science team - had agreed to rejoin the settlement, on the condition that he was granted joint authority with Dr. Li over the city's science team, who had since returned from her stay Citadel.

Elsewhere, the Brotherhood of Steel had eventually rebuilt the Citadel, after almost a year of continuous work and toil. With the aid of the colossal Liberty Prime, the Brotherhood had turned the once crumbling military installation into a proper fortress. Furthermore, Brotherhood recruitment levels were on the rise, following the Enclave's defeat at the battle of Project Purity. As a result, the increased manpower allowed them to extend the range and frequency of their wasteland operations.

However, not all change had been for the better...

In the recent months, there had been an unprecedented surge in the number of Super Mutants roaming in and around the D.C. ruins. Even more worryingly, there had been a slight increase in the number of Behemoth sightings as of late, though there was little hard evidence to suggest there were more of the monstrous creatures roaming around. As for the cause of the increase in Super Mutants activity, none could be certain.

To the west, the slavers of Paradise Falls had become increasingly active, with tales of abductions and slave raids becoming more and more frequent. At the same time, the raiders of Evergreen Mills had begun branching out, with reports of raider camps and hit squads spotted as far the Nuka-Cola Plant and the Bethesda Ruins.

However, the increased slaver and raider activity had an unexpected side-effect: to counter the growing threat to their communities, both the people of Arefu and the vampiric gang from Meresti Station, known as 'The Family', had gathered what supplies they could and made for the only other nearby settlement - Big Town.

Initially, there were tensions between the town's original residents and their new arrivals, especially regarding the Family's vampiric tendencies. However, these tensions quickly cooled, when the benefits of the added manpower and supplies allowed the people of Big Town to reclaim most of their former settlement. As an added bonus, the rapid expansion of Big Town not only deterred further attacks by raiders or slavers, it also resulted in trade caravans coming back to the settlement for the first time in a long while. However, the occasional skirmishes with roaming Super Mutants and slaver gangs was still a concern, but those was easily countered by the town's expanded guard force.

Lastly - and by far the most worrying development - was the significant increase in the presence of The Enclave throughout the wasteland. Ever since their defeat at the Jefferson Memorial, the Enclave had been determined to rectify the situation, and by any means necessary.

In the weeks following the Brotherhood's successful assault on the purifier, the Enclave had all but disappeared from the wastelands. Initially, many believed that the extent of the Enclave's losses had forced them to abandon whatever plans they originally had, and withdraw to their fortress base at Raven Rock.

This unfortunately proved to be untrue in the end, as less than two months after the purifier's activation, the Enclave were back...and this time, they came in force.

At first, it was simply a case of increased troop deployments and vertibird patrols, resulting in more frequent engagements between Brotherhood and Enclave forces. Thankfully, the reverse engineering of captured Enclave technology allowed the Brotherhood to achieve some level of technological parity with their enigmatic foes. However, this quickly changed when the Enclave began to field the newest addition to their arsenal - land-based infantry fighting vehicles, otherwise known as IFVs.

Essentially, the Enclave's IFV was a light, all terrain four-wheel-drive vehicle used for a wide variety of missions, in everything from logistics and medivac, to reconnaissance and raiding. Each vehicle's chassis was composed of reflective, reinforced armour plating designed to protect its crew, and came with a 360-degree roof-mounted heavy machine gun, which could further be interchanged for either grenade or missile-based ordinance. An IFV could also seat two crew - one to drive, and one to man the roof-mounted weaponry - and three passengers. Overall, the IFV was a vehicle of solid reliability, speed and fire power; and while not as effective in the densely packed D.C. ruins, it truly came into its own in the open expanses of the wasteland, quickly becoming the bane of Brotherhood infantry forces out in the field.

In response, the Brotherhood began issuing its infantry forces with its newest man-portable heavy weapon, known as the 'Tesla Cannon'. The end product of intense research into the main weapon system used by Liberty Prime, the Tesla Cannon was a shoulder-mounted, non-recoil energy weapon that fired powerful blasts of electricity, capable of taking out Enclave vertibirds and IFVs with but a single, well-placed shot.

Due to the advanced materials and techniques applied during its creation, the Tesla Cannon was surprisingly light-weight in comparison to other heavy weapons, thus granting Brotherhood soldiers additional fire power out in the field without having to compromise on mobility. Sadly, those same advance techniques and materials meant that the Tesla Cannons were limited in number, with those lost in the field being considerably costly to replace.

Furthermore, in addition to the deployment of the Tesla Cannons, the Brotherhood had also managed to scrape together a few vehicles of their own. Numbering at six in total, the vehicles themselves had been found relatively intact in an abandoned factory during a Brotherhood expedition to the east of the D.C ruins. However, unlike the Enclave's IFVs, the Brotherhood vehicles were simply modified civilian pickup trucks, with some armour and weapons - in the form of either a minigun or a missile launcher - bolted on for good measure. Each truck could also exchange its mounted weapon for a makeshift roll-cage, allowing them to also act as troop transports, should BoS forces need to get somewhere fast.

Also unlike the Enclave, the Brotherhood would _not_ be able to replace any trucks that were lost or destroyed; as such, every measure and precaution was taken to ensure their continued maintenance and operation.

At any rate, Mark quickly found himself jolted back to reality, as the truck he was currently riding in - the middle vehicle in a convoy of three - trundled over a pothole in the road, shaking the Lone Wanderer from his musings.

Yes, the Capitol Wasteland had indeed changed much over the past year, both for better and for worse. However, nothing could have prepared him for the sudden and unexpected change that occurred only days ago...one that could have unimaginable repercussions for the wasteland as a whole.

He still couldn't believe what he'd been told, even after the briefing they'd received from Elder Lyons back at the Citadel; apparently, an unidentified objecthad broken through the Earth's atmosphere and crash landed right in the middle of D.C. - specifically, within the eastern D.C. ruins.

And it was that very crash site that Mark, along with an force of fourteen other Brotherhood soldiers, was headed. As the convoy continued to weave its way through the broken urban streets, the former vault dweller could only being to imagine what lay in store for them...

* * *

_"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls; you're listening to Galaxy News Radio, and I'm your host, Three Dog! How's everyone doing?_

_Now kids, I've has always believed there is life beyond the stars, despite what the nay-sayers might tell you; but now, the truth is finally out - we are NOT alone!_

_According to reports from our powered armoured friends in the Brotherhood of Steel, an 'unidentified object' - from space, believe it or not - has crash landed, right here, in our very own backyard. Now, you might think ol' Three Dog has taken one too many hits to the head this time, but I promise you...no, guarantee you; if you're anywhere in or near the downtown ruins, then all you need to do is turn you eyes to the east, and you can find it for yourselves. Hell, I can still see the smoke rising in the distance, from here in my studio._

_However, in case any of you are feeling adventurous today, let me give you a little heads up - the frankensteins have been very busy lately; and their favourite hang-out spot? You guessed it: the D.C. ruins. Not only that, but there have been reports of Enclave activity in the area as well; So unless you've got a death wish, you're some kinda crazy thrillseeker, or you just don't mind staring death in the face, then I suggest you reconsider any plans to visit the downtown area in the next little while._

_Until next time, this is Three Dog, and you're listing to Galaxy News Radio: Bringing you the truth, no matter how bad it hurts._

_And now, some music..."_

With the news broadcast finished, a jazzy tune filled the air of the small makeshift camp. The camp in question was essentially a large rectangular fence, formed from a loose amalgamation of wooden planks and sheets of metal, and held together with rope and cable. Dirty mattresses, empty bottles, half-eaten food, and ragged clothing lay messily scattered around its interior.

And is was this camp that currently served as 'home' to one Keira McDowell, along with eight other raiders; or at least, as close to a home as one could get within the Capital Wasteland. Oddly enough, despite it's location within the Eastern D.C. Ruins, the raider gang - to which Keira had been a member for the past years - had seen little in the way of action ever since it was established almost three months ago, whether it be from Super Mutants, the Talon Company, or even other raiders gangs.

And if the young woman with short, messy black hair was being honest, that was just the way she liked it. After all, the less action they saw, they less chance she - and by extension, the rest of her fellow raiders - had of getting killed.

Of course, there were still times when the guns had to be brought out, the most recent time being when two travelling scavengers had attempted to scam the gang. It was only a few days ago that the scavengers had passed by, looking to trade some supposedly 'refurbished' laser rifles and ammo in exchange for caps. Needless to say, the scavengers wanted more than the gang was willing to offer; and once it turned out one of the laser rifles wasn't even working properly, that's when the proverbial shit _really_ hit the fan. Safe to say, with over four-to-one odds, things hadn't ended well for the scavengers.

Regardless, young Keira was content with her lot in life. Sure, being a raider wasn't all plain sailing: it was often 'kill or be killed' from one day to the next. Supplies were often scarce and hard to procure.

And as a raider, almost everyone treated you with hostility and suspicion...even other raiders.

Yet even with these burdens, the young woman could easily think of far worse forms of existence out in the wastes. The thought of living life as an irradiated walking corpse - or worse, the human pet of some jacked up slaver - were quickly banished from her mind by the gruff voice of a fellow raider.

"See, I told ya somethin' was happenin' over there," a weathered looking raider atop an old crate remarked with a smug grin as he worked on his assault rifle. "Might be worth takin' a look, see if we can find any good loot."

"Yeah, along with every other wasteland asshole," replied Keira from a raised wooden platform, her hunting rifle slung over her shoulder as she reclined in the chair of the camp's lookout nest. "Whatever that thing is, it's gonna be crawling with scavers, mercs, muties, and anyone else looking to grab themselves something worthwhile; not to mention those tech hoarding, tin-can bastards in the Brotherhood of Steel."

"Quiet down already, will ya?" A particularly large, heavily built raider snapped while lugging an ammunition box over to a rusted dumpster containing weapons, grenades and several munitions cases. "Some of us are trying to work here, and we'd prefer to do it without the constant yammering."

"Ah, whatever," Keira droned as she shifted in her seat, getting into a comfortable position before returning to her assigned task.

Normally, Keira was exceptionally vigilant in carrying out her task as lookout, given the ever likely chance that danger of some kind or another was lurking around the next corner. However, the past few weeks had been relatively easy going for their group, so the young raider soon found herself staring idly at the cloudy skies above. A few moments later, and her eyes were beginning to droop, the cloudy skies above slowing growing fuzzier with each passing second.

_"Eh, it's probably safe to catch some shut eye. After all, it's been pretty quiet lately,"_ she mused internally, stifling a yawn as she slowly drifted into a slumber. _"Besides, there's nine of us here; what's the worst that could happen?"_

* * *

"What are we looking at, Chief?" Rico asked as the group crouched low behind the rusted wreck of a burned out cadilac.

They had managed to make good progress towards the _Dawn's_ crash site without running into too much resistance, save for a few stray super mutants here and there. Now, however, they had hit a snag: a raider camp sitting directly in their path. They could have opted to divert off and go around it, but time was of the essence, and they needed to get to the _Dawn_ as soon as possible.

Therefore, they were left with only one option: go straight _through_ it.

"Contacts, all armed," the Spartan replied, pointing towards the raider camp while increasing the magnification of his helmet's visor."One lookout and three guards outside the entrance to the left. More are likely inside."

The Master Chief paused for a moment as something caught his eye: two bloodied, bullet-riddled corpses lying face down in the concrete, mere metres from the edge of the camp itself. Zooming in further with the MJOLNIR's enhance vision mode, he quickly confirmed that there were no weapons on or near either of the dead individuals.

"Two bodies outside; looks like they were fleeing from the encampment," the Spartan added before ducking back in behind the cadillac's rusted body.

"So, five of us against god only knows many of them?" the Caucasian mercenary remarked, thumbing the safety of his combat shotgun. He took one look at the Spartan, then turned back to the camp ahead of them, a sly smirk on his face. "Piss poor odds for those guys."

"What's the plan?" Max asked hesitantly, his eyes moving between Rico and the Master Chief as his checked the current magazine in his assault rifle.

"Simple: Get in close, hit 'em hard and fast, and give 'em no time to recover," Rico began as he turned to the rest of the group and started scratching a simple battle plan on the ground. "Here's how we'll do it..."

For the next several minutes, Rico went over their battle plan step-by-step: He, Max and Dana would hit the raiders head on to draw their attention, using the wrecked cars dotted around the front of the camp as cover. Meanwhile, Henry would provide covering fire from the upper floor of a derelict house to the left of the camp. Finally, the Master Chief would flank around the side, breach through the right wall, and hit the raiders from behind.

The plan itself was simple enough, but the main issue would be coordinating it effectively, so as to minimise the risk of casualties. To that end, they would all act upon an agreed signal: once everyone was in position, the Master Chief would toss a grenade into the camp's lookout post, hopefully taking out the sentry on watch and distracting the raiders at the same time. As soon as the grenade went off, they would launch their attack.

The Chief had to admit, it was a good plan given their situation; they would catch the enemy on two fronts and, with any luck, eliminate them without taking much in the way of return fire.

But, as an old saying went:_ "No plan survives contact with the enemy"_. To that end, the Spartan made sure to expected the unexpected...just in case. A quick look at his MA5C's ammo counter told him it was fully loaded.

"So, we all clear?" Rico asked when he was done detailing their plan of attack. A series of nods from the others confirmed that they were good to go. So, with their plan in place, the group split up and closed in around the raider camp.

Within minutes, everyone was in position and ready to go. Rico, Max and Dana were hunkered behind the cars out in front of the camp; Henry had finished lining up his scope with the guards outside the camp entrance; and the Chief, to the surprise of the others, had managed to sneak his way into position right underneath the lookout nest of raider camp itself, his armoured form belieing an apparent skill in the arts of stealth.

"The others are in position and awaiting your signal, Chief," Cortana's voice popped into the Spartan's helmet as he pulled out a frag grenade and thumbed the button for the grenade's mechanical primer. Quick nods from the Rico and his team confirmed they were ready to attack.

And for the briefest moment in a long time, John hesitated.

Originally, he and his fellow Spartans had been created to act as the covert solution to the growing dangers of insurrection and civil war that once threatened to tear the UNSC apart from within. As such, he was no stranger to ending human lives, briefly recalling a covert-op from early in his military career: the objective had been the capture of one Colonel Robert Watts, a rebel leader within the ranks of the Insurrectionist forces fighting a guerilla war against the UNSC. The mission was a success, despite John himself taking a bullet in the side during the process, with Colonel Watts securely in UNSC custody and a total of eleven rebel soldiers dead to boot - some of them at the Super Soldier's own hands.

But the appearance of the Covenant and the ensuing war for Humanity's very survival changed all that. For nearly three decades since the Covenant had appeared, the Spartan had always known human soldiers to be allies in their brutal struggle for survival against the seemingly unstoppable onslaught of the alien war machine. Under normal circumstances, the Spartan would have found himself slightly unsure at the idea of killing fellow humans.

However, all it took was one quick look at their surroundings to remind the Chief that these were hardly _normal_ circumstances. Almost instinctively, the Spartan banished these thoughts from his mind, focusing instead on the simple fact that he and Cortana had to get to the crashed frigate _as soon as possible_ if they were to have any realistic chance of surviving...wherever they were.

Besides, from what he and Cortana had learned in the short time spent travelling with their new-found allies, these 'Raiders' weren't exactly the friendliest people around, being just as likely to kill you for the sheer hell of it as they were if you possessed anything of value. Therefore, maybe it wasn't so bad, having a few less people like that wandering around unchecked.

So, with a final nod of his own, the Spartan clicked the primer button, counted to three...and threw.

* * *

Almost fifteen minutes had passed since the Brotherhood convoy left the Citadel, and in that time that had yet to encounter any resistance along the route to their destination; the crash site of the supposedly alien object.

While they had passed the occasional wastelanders and scavengers, there had been no sign of any Raiders, Super Mutants, Talon Company mercenaries, or even Enclave soldiers; and while he appreciated the distinct lack of action, a tiny niggling feeling in the back of Mark' mind kept telling him that _something_ just wasn't right about the lack of resistance they had encountered.

More times than he could care to remember, the former vault dweller had found himself running into raiders gangs, talon company hit squads, and roving bands of super mutants while traversing the D.C. ruins by himself, while on foot...on some rare occasions, all at the same time. As such, the fact that the much larger and louder Brotherhood vehicle convoy to have run into no opposition at all so far certainly did not sit well with the young man from Vault 101.

"Man, I don't like this; it's _too_ quiet," muttered one of the Knights occupying the same truck as Mark, echoing the young man's own thoughts. "Surely we'd have bumped into at least some Super Mutants by now."

"Who knows, man?" a second knight added as the truck bounced over mound of rubble. "Maybe whatever landed here wiped them all out."

_"I highly doubt that,"_ Paladin Kodiak interrupted over the squad radio._"The uglies have a habit of popping up where you least expect them. Besides, it's more likely this thing killed anyone it landed on, and scared off everyone else around it; I know I sure as hell wouldn't want to hang around some giant space rock that damn near crushed near me."_

_"That's true,"_ another knight commented over the radio. _"But the uglies ain't exactly the brightest bulbs in the box. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if we find them crawling all over this damn thing by the time we get there."_

_"I certainly hope not,"_ thought Mark, slowly shaking his head at the image forming in his head. That was the last thing they needed right now. After all, this..._thing_ from space could be dangerous enough on its own, for all the intel they had on it, never mind throwing a horde of bloodthirsty Super Mutants into the mix. There may have been fifteen soldiers in total in the convoy - the former vault dweller himself included - but they literally had no idea what they were up against.

Yet the biggest factor in the Lone Wanderer's unease, oddly enough, had nothing to do with the task at hand. In fact, the main source of his worry was the absence of his usual comrades. Normally in situations like this, Mark could have relied on Butch, Fawkes and Dogmeat to watch his back.

Unfortunately, he had no such luck this time around.

They were a tight-knit group, their nigh-unbreakable bonds formed through the fires of battle. By themselves, they were each a formidable fighter - Mark himself especially, given his long list of accomplishments across the Capitol Wasteland - but together, they were truly a force to be reckoned with, capable of taking on all comers and emerging victorious every time.

But on this occasion, the wanderer had been forced to leave his friends back at the Citadel. While they were indeed welcome within the Citadel in light of their bravery at the battle of Project Purity, the Brotherhood simply didn't trust them as much as they did Mark himself. Because of this, the Lone Wanderer found himself without one of his greatest assets; and as skilled and well-trained as the soldiers of the Brotherhood of Steel were, they just didn't inspire the same confidence in Mark his friends did.

The gloomy, overcast skies above the ruined city didn't exactly help matters much, either.

* * *

As quickly as she had dozed off, Keira McDowell soon found herself back in the land of the living, the sound of heavy footfalls telling her that lookout duty was now over.

"Hey," the approaching raider grunted before nudging the dark-haired woman with the butt of his assault rifle. "Go grab somethin' to eat and get you gear in order; Donovan's getting ready to send out some scroungers."

"Oh boy, another supply run," the young raider drawled with a sigh, her arms stretching out above her slender frame as she rose from her seat. "More fun and games for all, No dou-"

Keira's complaints died mid sentence, when her ears caught the sound of something landing on the wooden floor of the lookout nest. Both raiders looked down, and were momentarily confused by the appearance of the small spherical object lying only scant feet from them.

Their confusion quickly turned to horror, however, when they caught sight of the word 'FRAG' on the surface of the object.

The realisation of the immediate danger hitting them like a speeding freight train.

"GRENA-" was all that the gruff-voiced raider could get out before all hell broke loose.

Acting on pure instinct, Keira turned and threw herself from the lookout nest as the device went off, most of the shrapnel just missing her and no more. A few stray fragments still caught her on the way down, though, either slicing into her skin and clothes or loosely embedding themselves in her exposed flesh as she went crashing to the ground below.

Her comrade, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. The older man could only stumble backwards, just managing to scream out a partial warning before the object exploded. Deadly shrapnel tore into the unfortunate raider, slicing through skin, muscle and bone as the force of the blast tossed him from the wooden platform, his now lifeless body landing messily amongst his comrades.

The rest of the raiders immediately dropped whatever they were doing, the destruction of the lookout nest and subsequent death of one of their number throwing them into disarray. Shouts and cries filled the air as the assorted raiders scrambled back and forth around the camp, grabbing whatever weapons and ammo they could get their hands on whilst simultaneously trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

At the same time, the three raiders stationed out the front of the camp quickly snatched up their weapons and turned to see what happened. Suddenly, a loud _CRACK_ rang out, followed near instantly by one of the guards dropping to the ground, the right side of his head disappearing in an eruption of blood, bone and brain matter.

"SNIPER!" the remaining guards screamed in unison as they dove for cover behind the sandbags stacked out in front of the camp's entrance.

Sadly, they never made it to safety. The moment they began to move, three figures appeared from behind the husk of a burned-out car several feet away. As soon as they appeared, the figures opened fire, their weapons finding their mark as the remaining guards fell, their bodies flailing and writhing wildly as a hail of lead ripped into them.

To the raiders still inside the camp, the guards' dieing screams was all they needed to know that the shit had _really_ hit the fan.

Back inside the camp, Keira was still feeling the effects of her close brush with death, her ears ringing harshly in the wake of the explosion. The young raider, in her attempts to avoid a grizzly fate, hadn't anticipated the wooden boxes haphazardly stacked below the lookout nest. That, in conjunction with the near ten foot drop from the nest itself, left the black-haired youth in a groggy heap on the floor near the back of the camp.

Unfortunately, Keira had injured her right leg, due to both the fall from the nest and the shrapnel from the grenade. Searing pain shot through the damaged limb, causing the young woman to let loose with a string of curses that would have had embarrassed even a Super Mutant.

To make matters worse, the injured leg wasn't her only problem. The back of her head hurt link hell, the slowly blurring vision and muffling of the noise around her indicating that she may also have gained a concussion from her head impacting against one of the shattered crates when she fell.

And a concussion was the last thing she needed at that moment, what with everything was falling apart around her.

Meanwhile, the remaining raiders were finally starting to pull themselves together. The situation was looking bad, however: four of their group were already dead, and with their main lookout seemingly incapacitated, they found themselves facing a surprise attack at less than half strength.

The group's leader, Donovan, was busy barking orders in an attempt to rally the remaining raiders, his laser rifle in hand. The surviving raiders quickly took up defensive positions facing the camp's entrance hunkering down behind stacks of crates and overturned tables. If they were going down, they sure as hell weren't going without a fight.

And then the back wall of the camp exploded.

Keira, having already been dazed by the first explosion, could do little more than roll herself behind the boxes that hadn't been shattered by her fall and try to shield herself from the blast, as fragments of splintered wood and shattered metal rained down around her. Donovan and the remaining raiders quickly wheeled about to face this new threat, their weapons aimed at the newly opened breach in their defences.

There was a flash of metal and a slight rush of air, and before any of them could react, one of the last four raiders suddenly jerked back with a cry of pain. Keira watched as Donovan and the other raiders slowly turned to their stricken comrade, only to find a large and rather vicious looking knife jutting out from the man's neck. The black-haired raider could only look on in wide eyed horror as another of her comrades died in front of her, his hands slick with his own blood as he sank to his knees, a strained gargle escaping from his ruined throat before he keeled over dead.

The dull sound of crunching gravel then caught her attention, her gaze slowly drifting back to the hole in the wall as she caught sight of a large shadow moving toward them. Craning her head up, Keira took in the full view of their attacker. Despite her dazed and semi-conscious state, she could still feel the chill that shot down her spine.

Whatever this thing was, it was _big._ A towering metallic goliath, covered head-to-toe in the most alien looking armour she had even laid eyes upon, with an equally strange yet deadly looking weapon held in its iron grip.

At that moment, Donovan and the last two raiders finally noticed the appearance of their enemy, a mixture of shock, alarm and fear crossing their faces as the towering giant advanced upon them, its own strange weapon already raised and aimed right at them. With cries of anger and desperation, the last three raiders raised their own weapons, ready to fight for their lives.

Unfortunately for them, the armoured giant had beaten them to the punch. In the time it took Keira to blink, the behemoth's strange weapon came alive, hosing her doomed comrades with a torrent of leaded death. The stricken youth could do little but watch as two controlled and highly accurate bursts of gunfire raked the bodies of her fellow raiders, bloody spraying from their wounds as they fell limply to the floor.

But it wasn't over just yet. In the time it had taken the armoured giant to gun down two of the remaining raiders, Donovan had managed to get his laser rifle up and aimed at their attacker. Keira could just make out her leader mouthing a venomous **"Fuck You!"** at the towering figure, and with an almost feral sneer, Donovan let loose with his laser rifle.

For a brief instant, the young raider felt her heart stop, as a streak of red light erupted from her leader's weapon and struck the towering giant square on the neck. After all, even the power-armoured soldiers of the Brotherhood of Steel and the Enclave weren't invulnerable to energy weapons like the laser rifle, or its more powerful cousin, the plasma rifle. With any luck, the same would apply to their mystery foe, as well.

Yet as soon it arrived, that same hope disappeared right before Keira's eyes. The instant the shot connected, a wave of shimmering gold light washed over the giant, leaving the its armour completely untouched by Donovan's attack.

Keira felt her blood run cold as the proverbial penny dropped.

This _thing_ had some kind of shield...

Donovan, too, had realised his luck had run out, the older raider managing one last defiant curse before his armoured foe turn its weapon on him. With a final bark of gunfire, the gang leader toppled backwards, his life blood already oozing from the wounds stitched across his body

The moment Donovan hit the floor, Keira knew that it was over. After all, everyone else was already dead, leaving only her; and she was on the verge of passing out, at that.

Simply put, she couldn't fight back, even if she wanted to.

The young raider blinked repeatedly, her vision growing blurrier and the noise growing duller with each passing second. She could now just make out the general shape of the armoured giant standing above her as she drifted in and out of consciousness, her mind screaming at her to do _something_ despite her body's inability to comply.

Taking one last look at her unknown attacker, Keira felt the last flickers of hope fade away, before her eyes closed over and darkness enveloped her.

* * *

The Master Chief slowly lowered his weapon as the last hostile fell.

The battle, as quickly as it had started, was over.

Taking a moment to survey the aftermath of the battle, the Spartan concluded that the plan had gone off without incident. To their credit, Rico and his team had fulfilled their part quite effectively, having eliminated the camp's guards in swift fashion, thus allowing the Spartan to dispatch the rest of the opposition with little difficulty.

Well, other than the unexpected surprise with the energy weapon the last Raider had utilised. Given the apparent state of the Earth in general, the last thing he and Cortana had expected to encounter were direct energy weapons of any sort.

Marching over to the raider with the blade protruding from his neck, the Chief recovered his combat knife and cleaned the blood from it, his eyes travelling over each of the dead humans in turn as he did.

"Well, that went quite nicely, if I do say so myself."

The Spartan turned to see Rico and the other mercenaries making their way towards him, slowly treading past the corpses of the fallen raiders, the rather satisfied smirk on the face of the mercenary leader sharply contrasting with the mixed looks of shock and disbelief worn on the faces of his team, their widened eyes sweeping to and fro across the damage the super soldier had done.

"Damn, Chief," said Henry as he cautiously nudged the corpse of a raider with his right foot. "I wouldn't wanna piss you off, that's for sure."

The rest of the mercenaries silently agreed with the skinhead's sentiments, having already witnessed first-hand what the Spartan was capable of when he rescued them from the Super Mutant ambush. The memory of several bloodthirsty, hulking monsters being so easily dispatched by a lone combatant wasn't something they were going to forget any time soon.

"So, what not?" Max slowly rocked back and forth as he looked questioningly at both Rico and the Master Chief.

Rico was about to state that they needed to keep moving, when he was cut off by the sound of Dana's voice.

"Lootin', obviously!" the semi-tanned scout rubbed her hands together disapproving look on Rico's face did not go unnoticed by the youth as she continued. "I mean, we just took out a whole raider camp, here; surely there's gotta be something worth grabbin', right?

"She's right, boss." Henry agreed, merely shrugging when Rico shot him an irritated frown. "At the very least, we can stock up on meds and ammo."

Max simply nodded, echoing his companions' statements.

Rico shook his head with a sigh. As much as it irked him, they were right: if they kept on going as they were, without stopping to replace the ammo they used, they would soon find themselves in a potentially sticky situation. After all, what good was a gun if you had no ammo for it?

"Your call, Chief," The burly caucasian deferred to the armour-clad super soldier standing next to him. "It's your ship we're headin' for, after all."

The Spartan shifted his gaze between each of the mercenaries around him as he weighed up their options. On one hand, it was imperative that they getting to the _Dawn_ as soon as possible, if only for that fact that it would give them a secure and defensible position to work from. On the other hand, it would be foolish not to resupply, since it was highly unlikely that any future battles would be as one sided as this.

"We should resupply while we can," the Spartan eventually decided, favouring caution over speed in the end.

"Well, You heard him," Rico said as he addressed his team. "You've got five minutes to grab whatever you can; after that, we move out."

With their instructions clear, the group dispersed themselves around the camp, rifling their way through boxes, crates, duffel bags, and anything else they thought might contain vital supplies.

However, while the mercenaries set about turning the camp over for supplies, the Spartan made his way back towards to the back of the camp. Scanning the immediate area, the Chief gaze quickly fell on a discarded weapon lying near the motionless form of a fallen raider. Moving over, he crouched down and scooped up the gun in an armour-clad hand.

The weapon, apparently some kind of bolt action rifle, was in relatively good condition despite looking like it was made from two or three different weapons bolted together. Placing his own assault rifle on the ground, the Spartan took a moment to look down the sights of the weapon. Interestingly enough, the iron sights were fractionally off, though this would only make any real difference at longer ranges. Pulling back the breech handle, the Chief ejected one of the bullets and held it up, examining it closely.

".32 calibre rounds? Interesting," Cortana chimed in as the Spartan continued examining both the rifle and the bullet. "I didn't think they would use such antiquated ammunition. Then again, given the apparent state of the planet, it's not that surprising."

The Chief merely nodded, before reloading the rifle and place it back on the ground. With the inspection of the weapon done, the he turned to the body of the raider next to him.

It was a young woman with dark hair, though he couldn't tell how old she was. Reaching over, the Spartan gently placed a hand on her back and held it there for a moment. Even through his armour, the gentle rising and falling of her torso told him all he needed to know.

Alive, but unconscious; the blood slowly trailing from the back of her head, coupled with the the lack of a reaction to his contact, told him that much.

Taking his hand off her, the Spartan merely watched her for a second, his mind conflicted about the current situation. One on hand, getting to the _Dawn_ was still their top priority. On the other, the young woman was still alive, and the idea of just leaving her as she was didn't sit right with the Spartan.

Then again, this whole situation didn't sit right with the Chief. They had essentially launched an unprovoked assault against these people, all based on the fact that they were 'in the way'. That, and according to Rico and his team, Raiders were generally not peaceful people.

Yet despite that, the Spartan still felt wrong about killing other humans, the war with the Covenant once more coming to mind. Even given the unusual circumstances they he and Cortana were facing, it just felt _wrong_ to have spent nearly three decades fighting tooth and nail to defend humanity at any cost, only to then turn around and start killing humans himself.

"Chief..." Cortana spoke softly in his ear, concern in her voice. "There's nothing we can do for her."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," He replied bluntly as he rose to his feet. Looking down at the still motionless woman, the Spartan grabbing the hunting rifle and placing it next to her prone form. In his mind, it was the least he could do; even if he couldn't help her directly, then he would at least give her some means to defend herself...if she ever woke up again.

Despite his own frustrations, he could still see the bigger picture, even if he didn't like what he saw.

Pushing his thoughts aside once more, the Spartan stood up and made his way back to the others. They still had a ship to secure, after all.

"Hey, Chief," Rico called out as he and the other mercenaries noticed the Spartan heading toward them. "We're ready to move when you are."

"Good," The Chief said in return before striding past them, pausing to recover his knife from the throat of a dead raider. The Spartan then moved to the fallen raider that had fired on him. Leaning down, he snatched up the the raider's weapon and gave it a quick look over.

"A direct energy weapon..." his AI companion mused, almost to herself. "Might be worth taking with us, Chief."

The Spartan nodded in agreement, before turning and tossing the weapon to Rico. "Hold onto that for me; I want to get a look at it when we reach the ship."

"Fair enough," the bearded caucasian replied as he slung the laser rifle over his shoulder, before motioning for the others to start walking.

With their supplies restocked, the team departed from the ruined camped and continued on towards the downed UNSC frigate.

* * *

At first, there was just darkness.

Then came sensation of a cool wind blowing across her body.

After that, the sudden and bright light that erupted into existence before her.

And then finally, the aching pain that racked her entire body in one fell swoop.

Grunting as she cracked her eyes open, she slowly lifted her head and took in her surroundings. The distinct scent of death was obvious to her. Placing a hand on the back of her head, she drew it back to find a blood smeared on her fingers.

Confusion reigned for a moment...and then it all came rushing back to her...

The attack on the camp...

The deaths of her comrades...

The armoured giant...

Slowly dragging herself to her feet, the young raider took in the carnage all around her.

Despite the slaughter, and despite her injuries, Keira McDowell could hardly believe it.

She had survived.

Standing amidst the ruins of the former raider camper, the dark-haired woman struggled to comprehend how...or _why_ she was still alive.

The question was obvious: why hadn't they finished her off, like they had the others? After all, they had so easily slaughtered the rest of her fellow raiders, and she herself had been in no condition to fight back, even if she had wanted to.

Maybe, in her unconscious state, they had mistaken her for just another corpse.

Maybe they hadn't been too thorough in making sure everyone in the camp was dead.

Or maybe they just weren't the merciless types, and had only attacked the camp looking for supplies.

Whatever the answer was, it would have to wait until later. Right now, her top priority was survival, and with the rest of her former gang now lying dead all around her, 'safety in numbers' was no longer a viable option. The former camp itself was no longer safe, either. Therefore, she would have to get moving, and soon, lest any opportunistic predators come calling.

To that end, Keira began formulating a plan of action. Slowly stumbling over to an unopened medical container, the youth hurriedly sifted through the contents of the box until her fingers closed around the familiar shape of a stimpack. Without pause, Keira snatched up the stimpack and jabbed it into her right leg, the syringe puncturing her skin and injecting her with healing stimulants. It only took seconds before she began to feel the healing effects kick in, the throbbing pain in her limbs gradually fading with each passing second.

Normally, a single stimpack would be enough to heal all but the most crippling of non-fatal wounds, though this usually required some time to rest in addition to the stimpack itself - time which Keira simply didn't have. To expedite the process, she grabbed a second stimpack from the container and jabbed it into her left arm.

Having already taken one stimpack, the youth could literally feel the pain lifting from her body, particularly the dull throbbing pain slowly fading from the back of her head. As the stimulants worked away on her injuries, Keira sat down, pulled out a small knife and got to work digging out what shrapnel she could that was embedded in her flesh. Once she had freed as much as was possible, she grabbed her hunting rifle and began gathering together what supplies she could for the journey ahead.

Thankfully, it looked as though the armoured giant and whatever allies he had were long gone, as they hadn't looted as many supplies as she had expected them to, in the wake of such a conquest.

Because of this, there was still plenty of ammo lying around for her to use, along with roughly a dozen stimpacks, and even a couple of frag grenades that had gone unnoticed.

Unfortunately, Donovan's laser rifle was missing, likely taken by the giant itself. That was of little consequence, though, as Keira still had her trusty hunting rifle. That, and there were plenty of other weapons lying around for her to choose from, as she snatched up a fallen assault rifle, and slung it across her back.

Best of all, however, was a little secret of her own that Keira had been saving for just such an occasion. Moving to a small footlocker tucked away opposite her hiding spot, Keira carefully pried the small metal box open and dug out a suit of refurbished metal armour. Essentially, it was protective jumpsuit with various metallic parts attached to it, offering the user a somewhat enhanced level of protection out in the wasteland...at least in comparison to the typical attire usually worn by those wandering the wastes.

She had found it roughly a week ago, in an abandoned warehouse not far from the camp itself, while out on supply duty with a few other raiders from her group. Normally, any clothing or armour found while scavenging was left behind, usually being beyond repair in most cases. In this instance, however, the suit - while damaged and missing much of its protective metal covering - was still be salvageable.

Thus, Keira had carefully gathered it up when no-one was looking, and stuff it into her backpack. Once they had returned to the camp, she had stuffed it into a secure foot lockers that she had claimed for herself. After that, she simply worked on repairing it whenever she had a moment to herself, usually by 'borrowing' any spare metal parts lying around the camp when no-one was looking.

In hindsight, this only actually been possible due to the suit missing many of its metallic coverings; had the suit been more intact, it would have been too heavy to take back to the camp with her, and certainly to obvious to keep hidden from her fellow raiders. Perhaps it had been a blessing in disguise, now that she thought about it, recalling the countless nights spent working on her pet project as she quickly slipped out of her raider clothes and into the metal armour.

Once she was armed and armoured, Keira looked over the demolished camp and the bodies of her fellow raiders strewn around her.

There was still one last job to be taken take care of.

It took her about fifteen minutes to move them all into position, but eventually the bodies of her comrades lay side-by-side in a partly neat line at the centre of the camp. After that, she had taken a plain white tarpaulin and draped it over the bodies, using some spare railway spikes to pin the cover in place. As a final touch, she lay a single upward pointing bullet above the head of each body. It wasn't exactly a proper burial, but given the circumstances, it was the best she could do.

It hadn't been easy; moving bodies never was, especially when they belonged to people you knew; yet out of respect for her departed brethren, she felt it had to be done. They might not have been the closest group, but they looked out for each other when it mattered.

In the end, Donovan's gang was probably the closest thing to a family Keira had ever know.

With the cover securely in place, Keira bowed her head, silently counting to sixty. Once she had finished, she snatched up her hunting rifle, made sure the assault rifle on her back was secured, and marched off into the urban ruins.

If Keira McDowell knew one thing, it was this:

There were answers waiting for her...and they lay with the armoured giant.

* * *

Good god, that took _far too long_.

Apologies if the writing quality is lacking in this chapter - work on this addition has been on and off for much longer than I would have liked. That, and at times, it felt like it just did _**not**_ want to be written. Nights spend staring at the computer screen, with only a paragraph or two appearing at the end, only to be scrapped and re-written again and again.

I hope my attempt at some minor characterisation of the Chief wasn't too bad - I felt it would be worth giving some insight into how he's taking all of this.

But hey, we finally got here in the end.

And again, my sincerest apologies to everyone for taking so long to get this out.

If there is anything I've missed, or anything looks unfinished. please feel free to let me know.

Oh - and for the record; just in case anyone doesn't realise this, the 'Tesla Cannon' is an actual weapon from Fallout 3 (specifically, the 'Broken Steel' DLC):

fallout. wikia wiki/Tesla_cannon_(Fallout_3) (remove the spaces)

Anyway, another player has entered the fray - what will the young former raider do, now that her friends have all been wiped out? Does she have vengeance on her mind?

And what awaits our heroes in the heart of ruined D.C.?

Find out in 'Chapter 4: Ambushed!'


End file.
